Refrigerator



Nov. 10, 1942. R. H. MONEY ETAL V REFRIGERATOR Filed July 15, 1959' 2' Sheets-Sheet 1 Ill fiouuva H MONEY Jon/v W CRAIG.

A'ITORNEYJ.

Nov.10;1942.

REFRIGERATOR Filed July 15, 1959 R.H.MONEY ETAL,

2 Sheets-Sheei 2' i 'i u q ATTORNEYS.

?aiented Nov, Eh,

anion REFRIGERATOR Roland B. Money and John W. Craig, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignors to The Crosley Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application July 15, 1939, Serial No. 284,676

7 Claims. (Cl. Git-n6) Our, invention relates to provision for two temperatures in a refrigerator, one of which is maintained by the use of a compressor and condenser or by some other external source, which we term the primary system, and theother of which is maintained by thermal contact with the evaporator of the primary system, but is otherwise not in communication therewith, which we term the secondary system. a

The primary system has its evaporator in a casing insulated from the interioroi the refrigerator, and the secondary system has its evaporator exposed within the refrigerator, with its condenser element located in thermal contact with the evaporator oi! the primary system. As so constructed, the secondary system is maintained in operation by the condensation of the refrigerant gases by means oi the abstraction of heat therei'rom by the evaporator oi the primary system. Suggestions have been made previously for such systems, which have an advantage in domestic refrigerators particularly, since the secondary system is maintained at a temperature above the freezing point, say at a temperature of around 33 degrees. which retards the withdrawal of moisture from the air within the refrigerator. Also it is an advantage to have quick freezing, at a temperature well below freezing point, for use in making ice and frozen foods, which in a single system arrangement cannot be provided without maintaining an excessively low temperature on the cooling unit suriace resulting in a low dew point and moisture content of the air in the main body of the refrigerator which accelerates the de-hydration of foods.

In such systems we have devised a series of improvements structurally and .in theory of operation. In the first place, we establish direct thermal contact of our secondary system con- 1 It is not necessary in our system to control the secondary system, as by a pressure valve, be-

maintain the two systems at a temperature differential which is primarily arranged by the capacity of the two systems and the nature of the thermal contact between them.

Various features of construction in our arrangement will be found advantageous from the point of view of simplicity and effectiveness and will be noted as the description proceeds. The example illustrated in the drawings is to a certain extent illustrative of features of inventive novelty which will be set claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a refrigerator using our two temperature system.

. Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is 'a detail elevation of the refrigerator showing a diiierent form of secondary evaporator.

Figure 4 is a perspective of the relation between the condenser of the secondary system and the evaporator oi the primary system.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-5 01' Figure 6.

Referring briefly to the refrigerator cabinet, we have shown a body i having an interior compartment 2, with a door 3. Within the main compartment is an insulated compartment 4 cause in the normal use of a refrigerator, the influx of heat is such, that the lag between the primary system and the secondary system tends to with a drop door 5, this compartment 4 being the freezing compartment. We have indicated a sealed in compressor 6 which communicates with a condenser 1 of the air cooled type on the back of the body I. Pipe 8 from the compressor enters the condenser at the top and pipe 9 from the compressor communicates with the header III of the primary evaporator. This evaporator II is most fully shown in Figure 5 and is 01' a simple right angle shape, as a matter of preference, and'of the embossed double plate type. The inlet pipe i2 extends .from the condenser already noted through the'capillary tube refrigerant flow control to the one terminus of the passageway within the evaporator, whence the flow is through the sinuous passageways to the head it], when the gases are drawn back to the compressor.

. So far the description has been of the primary system. Bolted by means of a series of bolts I 3, to the back of the upright plate of the primary evaporator is the condenser element of the secondary system. This is as shown, formed of emforth in the appended v portions [4, and communicating passages IS, the refrigerant gases entering through the pipe l8 and the condensed liquid passing out through the pipe II. We have indicated at the heavy line I 8 a shim of some kind of fibre or the like, which can be replaced with a thicker shim or entirely removed, thus controlling the initial closeness of thermal contact between the condenser of this secondary system and the evaporator of the primary system. 7

The pipes l6 and I! communicate with an evaporator which is suspended in a position to lie within the main compartment of the refrigerator. It may be of any desired type, there being two shown, one of which is the single coil type with fins as shown at I9, and the other a long thin double plate type as shown at 20, which extends down as a partition through the middle of the main compartment.

By regulating the capacity of the secondary evaporator with reference to its condenser, the lag between the action of the primary system and the secondary system can be adequately controlled for a given duty. If the duty is diflerent, as in different climates, the use of shims to control the closeness of thermal contact of the secondary condenser with the primary evaporator, the same general relation will serve, and the lag additionally controlled by the shims. By lag, reference is made to the cooling effect of the primary and secondary systems. The primary system is calculated to operate at a temperature of around 15 degrees F., for the primary evaporator, and at a temperature of around 33 degrees for the secondary evaporator. Thus there will be a low freezing temperature in the insulated compartment 4, for use with ice trays, frozen foods, and for making frozen desserts and the like-and a non-frosting temperature maintained in the main food compartment, with the retarding f the non-desiccating efiecton foods contained therein, which is lacking in one element refrigerators.

There is a single cold control, the active element of which may be a bulb, for example as shown at 2|. This bulb or whatever active element is used, is mounted so as to be in thermal contact with both the primary evaporator and the secondary condenser. Thus as illustrated, the bulb 2| is mounted by means of a suitable clip over the bottom edge of the secondary condenser, and the corner of the primary evaporator. A control knob and cable, as indicated at 22, for this cold control, which will be set to maintain the temperature in the freezing compartment when in normal operation at around 15 degrees,

7 bossed double plate structure having header like maintain the temperature of the secondary evaporator at the required temperature.

it will be evident from the above that by this invention the low temperature arrangement is provided without any controls added to take care of the secondary system, and but one source of power, due to the thermal contactsmaintained. and the automatic cycling of the secondary system;

There has been no attempt to illustrate more than one embodiment of the invention, and in the claims that follow the novelty inherent in the illustrated form, as well as other forms which could readily be devised once the invention is appreciated, will be duly set forth.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a refrigerator having a primary refrigeration system inclndingan evaporator, an insulated compartment in which said evaporator is located, a closed secondary system, including a condenser located in thermal contact with the primary system evaporator, and an evaporator located within the refrigerator outside of said insulated compartment, said primary'evaporator being L-shaped and having horizontal and vertical components with passages therein com municating with a header disposed horizontally across said vertical component, said vertical component having a substantially flat area below said header and he secondary condenser being mounted against the vertical component of said evaporator adjacent said flat area.

2. In a refrigerator having a primary refrigeration system including an evaporator, an insulated compartment in which said evaporator is located, a closed secondary system, including a condenser located in thermal contact with the primary system evaporator, and an evaporator located within the refrigerator outside of said insulated compartment, said primary evaporator having horizontal and vertical components with passages therein for refrigerant and the seconatively flat areas disposed in face to face relationship with each other.

3. A two-temperature refrigerator comprising an insulated body, an insulated receptacle withis provided. If this temperature is raised, as by opening the freezing compartment, andinserting water in pans to form ice, the evaporator will warm up and the compressor system will be set into operation by the cold control bulb. If the main food compartment becomes too warm, as say above degrees, this will warm up the condenser of the secondary system, tend to warm up the primary evaporator, and also act directly on the cold control to start the compressor going to bring the secondary condenser down to a temperature which will mean also-bringing the primary evaporator to the temperature of around 15 degrees, again. The location of the thermostat or cold control bulb only in contact with the primary evaporator would make the response of the rimary compressor too slow to properly in said body, a primary evaporator within said receptacle, a secondary evaporator outside said receptacle, a condenser for said secondary evaporator, saidprimary evaporator and said secon dary condenser being of the embossed double plate type having relatively flat areas, and means within said receptacle for adjustably mounting said secondary condenser in heat exchange relationship with said primary evaporator with the said flat faces. adjacent one another.

4. A two-temperature refrigerator comprising an insulated. body, an insulated receptacle within said body, a primary evaporator within said receptacle, a secondary evaporator outside said receptacle, a condenser for said secondary evaporator, said primary evaporator and said secondary condenser being of the embossed'doubleplate type having relatively flat areas, and means for adjustably mounting said secondary condenser in heat exchange relationship with said primary evaporator with the said flat faces adjacent one another, said means including shims adapted and arranged to be interposed between said adjacent races.

5. A two-temperature refrigerator comprising an insulated body, an insulated receptacle within said body, a primary evaporator within said receptacle, a secondary evaporator outside said receptacle, a condenser for said secondary evaporator, said primary evaporator and said secondary condenser being of the embossed double plate type having relatively fiat areas, means for adjustably mounting said secondary condenser in I heat exchange relationship with said primary evaporator with the said flat races adjacent one another, and temperature responsive means disposed in metallic contact with both said primary zontally in said receptacle to form a shelf and said receptacle, and means for adjustably mounting said secondary condenser in heat exchange relationship with said primary evaporator with the flat face of the condenser adjacent the vertical fiat face of the primary evaporator.

"l. A two-temperature refrigerator comprising an insulated body, an insulated receptacle within said body, a primary evaporator within said receptacle, a secondary evaporatoroutside said receptacle, a condenser for said secondary evaporator, said primary evaporator and said secondary condenser being of the embossed double plate type having relatively flat areas, one flat area of said primary evaporator. being extended horizontally in said receptacle to form a shelf and another flat area being disposed vertically within said receptacle, means for adjustably mounting another fiat area being disposed vertically within said secondary condenser inheat exchange relationship with said primary evaporator with the fiat face of the condenser adjacent the vertical flat face of the primary evaporator, and temperature responsive means disposed in metallic contact with both said primary evaporator and said secondary condenser.

. ROLAND H, MONEY.

JOHN W. CRAIG. 

